


Runs in the Family

by Superfluous_Slytherin



Category: Dream SMP Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Clay | Dream Being a Jerk (Video Blogging RPF), Everyone Needs A Hug, Exiled TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Give Niki Nihachu a gun, Niki | Nihachu and Ranboo are Siblings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Technoblade Hears Voices (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Hears Voices (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and Technoblade and TommyInnit are Siblings, no beta we die like smp!wilbur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:01:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29289498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Superfluous_Slytherin/pseuds/Superfluous_Slytherin
Summary: Tommyinnit is perfectly fine. He's gotten out from under Dream and he's living with Technoblade now so of course he's fine! Everything is okay.Except, you know, now he's hearing voices in his head which is probably not the best thing in the world but its fine.No one needs to know about it! Until Tommy's himself and gets into some trouble because of course he did and now he's all alone with just the voices screaming at him. What the hell is a little Pogchamp?
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Niki | Nihachu & Ranboo, Niki | Nihachu & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Comments: 92
Kudos: 1268
Collections: Cheshire's MCYT recs!, Completed stories I've read, Found family to make me feel something





	1. They Say You Can Catch It

**They Say You Can Catch It**

Exile did not do Tommy a lot of good but it wasn’t like it was meant to. He glanced at a piece of ice out near Techno’s turtle farm and he could hardly recognize his own reflection.

His hair was much longer, to the point where when he’d been discovered under the basement, Techno had insisted on teaching him how to pull it back so that it wouldn’t be in his face. He was also skinnier than before and it made him look a little older. His eyes were regaining their color, thankfully, because he felt as though he looked too much like Ghostbur with his eyes like that.

He was also dressed differently than before, though not by his own choice. His clothes had been all but destroyed and even if they hadn’t been, he would have frozen out here in that. He was wearing one of Techno’s old white button ups, the sleeves rolled up so that they wouldn’t fall, and one of Techno’s capes that he had cut so that he wouldn’t trip over it. His pants were his own, but Techno had sewn fabric to patch the rips (where he learned to sew he would never know).

Perhaps the most changed part of Tommyinnit wasn’t a physical trait, it was the loud voices that screamed in his head even now as he looked at himself.

_HomelessInnit!_

_Long hair POG_

_GirlInnit_

_Raccoon boy_

Okay, maybe the last one was accurate because no matter how much sleep he got now, he always had dark bags under his eyes.

The voices had shown up only a few weeks into his exile, and they’d gotten louder as the time went on. He’d attempted to ignore them, which only made them angrier and he hadn’t been able to sleep for 2 days. He had been tempted to ask Dream about them but they were quite insistent that he not tell Dream anything.

They had mixed feelings about Dream and tended to freak out anytime Tommy even thought of the masked man.

If he was being completely honest with himself, he should probably do something because he didn’t think that sane people heard voices constantly commentating on what he was doing but that wasn’t high up on his list of priorities right now. He tore his eyes away from the ice and let himself into the turtle pen debating whether or not he actually wanted to swim down for the chest or if it would be easier to dig.

_SwimInnit_

_He can’t even swim_

_Drown already_

_He can’t swim!_

“Fuck you, I can swim.” Tommy snapped, causing a few of the turtles to look at him curiously.

Great, now he was being judged by the animals.

He sighed, flinging off Techno’s cape and digging through his bag to find the turtle helmet Techno had given him. He didn’t know if the older man knew how much the turtle shell helped him breathe at night but it was what kept him from completely panicking as he lowered himself into the water.

It only took him a few seconds to find and grab the scutes but he still found himself gasping for air as he broke the surface. Even with the torches around, the air was cold and he was already regretting going into the water. That, coupled with the way the sand now stuck to him as he pulled himself up onto the beach made him realize digging would’ve been the better option. He shoved the scutes into his pockets as the voices started up again.

_You’re gonna freeze_

_Sandman_

_Idiot_

_We could’ve told you that was a bad idea_

_Hypothermia incoming_

Tommy just sighed, grabbing Techno’s cape and wrapping it around his shoulders, ignoring the sand that fanned out from it as he began the walk back to Techno’s house. It was thankfully not that far but he could tell that his lips were probably turning blue by the time he made it back inside.

The fire had almost burned itself out and he quickly tossed several more logs onto it, collapsing onto the floor and relishing in the heat. Techno had gone back to L’Manberg to check on the dogs so he knew he should probably be doing chores for Techno but he couldn’t bring himself to get up. At the mere thought of the dogs, the voices started demanding he go get one of the new puppies and bring it home. And though he wasn’t opposed to the idea, he knew Techno would never allow it. The pinkette had been incredibly lenient with Tommy but he wasn’t about to push those limits right now.

“Could you all just shut up? We can’t get a dog.” He sighed, stretching to lay fully out in front of the fire tiredly.

He wrapped Techno’s cape tighter around his shoulders, grateful that they seemed to listen for once and quieted down for the most part. He knew Techno probably wouldn’t be the happiest if he came back and Tommy was asleep but he hadn’t been sleeping much lately and his clothes were still wet so he couldn’t do anything anyway.

_SleepInnit_

_He looks so young when he sleeps_

_Lazy_

_Shut up_

_Guys, let him sleep_


	2. But Sometimes You're Born With It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technoblade comes home

**But Sometimes You're Born With It**

Technoblade sometimes wondered why he even bothered trying to destroy the government of L’Manberg. From the blanket of invisibility potions he could see just how disorganized they all were, running around like they were headless chickens. He honestly probably could’ve gotten to the dogs without a potion but it was a precaution. He fed them and refilled their water quickly before checking in on the new puppies.

_Puppy Pog!_

_Take one home_

_Give one to Tommy_

_Clementine_

Techno sighed but ignored the voices as he settled the dogs back down and closed up the room again. For some reason, they’d taken quite a liking to Tommy lately and liked to let him know just how much they preferred the blonde over him. It was an interesting development to say the least. He’d grown up with the kid and they’d tended to just ignore him but now for some reason they loved him.

Speaking of Tommy, he wasn’t quite sure what to think of the kid at the moment. Dream had done something to him, more than what Tommy was willing to tell him, and he wasn’t all that sure how to help him. Technoblade wasn’t known for being comforting and nurturing.

Techno swung himself up onto Carl, who was already pacing and eager to go home. He didn’t even bother guiding the horse at all, knowing that he was smart enough to find the house quickly. Strangely, even the horse had taken a liking to Tommy, much to the teens amusement and joy. It didn’t take long for his house to come into view, smoke billowing out of the chimney. He sighed, sliding down into the snow and leading Carl into his pen. He couldn’t exactly fault the kid for not being used to the snow yet, and though he’d never admit it he was grateful that Tommy had kept it burning.

When he entered the house, he was greeted by Tommy laying on the floor, wrapped in one of his capes. The floor had small puddles of water and sand and he could see that was Tommy’s fault quite easily.

_Theseus_

_Thief!_

_Wake him up_

_Put him to work_

_No, let him sleep_

_He looks so peaceful_

Techno rolled his eyes at their indecision.

“Chat, I’m not going to wake him up.” He sighed, stepping around him to add more to the fire. “He’s just going to whine if I do.”

“Would not.” Came the sleepy mumble from behind him. He glanced back to see Tommy had already fallen back asleep, curling in on himself more, which Techno was grateful for.

The younger boy hadn’t seemed to notice the few times Techno spoke out loud to Chat (They’d asked to be called that, he wasn’t sure why) and he wasn’t exactly eager for him to notice. Phil knew and that was sometimes more than Techno was comfortable with. Tommy sighed again, shifting closer to the fire and drawing Techno out of his thoughts. He would probably catch his hair on fire if he stayed there. Gods knows he never stayed still, even in his sleep.

Techno debated for several seconds before scooping the kid up off of the floor with ease. He was still worryingly light despite living in Techno’s house and stealing his food for almost a month now. Chat began aweing at him, much to his annoyance.

“It was move him or trip over him.” Techno complained, climbing down the ladder into Tommy’s room carefully and dropping him unceremoniously onto his bed.

He paused to look around Tommy’s room curiously. He hadn’t been down here much since he’d found Tommy but he couldn’t tell how the kid slept with such bright walls. Though, glancing at the dark circles that stayed under the boys eyes he wasn’t sure he did sleep. He could see pieces of stone that seemed out of place in the walls and was willing to bet they hid chests full of Techno’s things but it wasn’t worth it to try and take them from Tommy. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world and Chat was quick to berate him for even thinking about it.

“Shut up.” Tommy whined, pulling the stolen cape up over his head.

“I didn’t-” Techno cut himself off as the voices started up again, whispering as if that would do anything.

_nightmare_

_poor Tommy_

_annoying_

_just a kid_

_he’s 16 that’s not a kid_

_that very much is_

Techno sighed, batting at the air above his head like it would actually do anything before climbing back up the ladder. Because he decided to have sympathy ( _TechnoSoft!_ ) it meant that he had to get started on the chores he’d asked Tommy to do. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do.


	3. Now Look What I've Done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Perhaps a father figure is needed

**Now Look What I've Done**

Tommy had woken up the second that Techno had come through the door because the voices had begun screaming his name. He’d tried to ignore them and had almost managed to go back to sleep when he heard Techno talking to himself. He’d begun to notice that he did that a lot whenever he was thinking about anything that required emotions. He couldn’t hear much of it, other than Techno mentioning that he would whine, which he was quick to correct him about. He’d almost managed to fall back asleep when he felt himself being picked up.

He would never admit it but he leaned into the touch, feeling Techno’s chest rumble as he said something else that Tommy couldn’t understand. The older man wasn’t gentle when setting him down but he didn’t expect any different and for some reason, the pile he had landed in was actually comfortable so he didn’t try to adjust. He was hyper aware of Techno standing in his room, thanks to the voices that apparently just wanted to make sure he knew.

_He’s staring_

_What if he takes our things?_

_They were his things first_

_He wouldn’t_

_Why isn’t he leaving?_

_He’s just standing there_

“Shut up.” Tommy snapped without thinking, instantly pulling Techno’s cape up over his head.

“I didn’t-” Techno paused and after what felt like an eternity he seemed to decide not to continue and just climbed back up into the basement quietly. The voices narrated Techno’s path until he left the house, at which point they seemed to lose interest. They were determined to keep him from falling back asleep though and were annoyingly loud.

_Lonely Pog! (_ Why were they so fond of that word?)

_Phil’s here_

_Liar_

_Dadza_

_Get Phil_

“Phil isn’t here!” Tommy groaned, finally sitting up and rubbing his eyes tiredly.

That was something he’d learned very quickly after they appeared, the voices liked to trick him. There were always at least a few that tried to be honest with him but he couldn’t always pick them out. This fixation was easy enough for him to recognize but it was still annoying. Phil was currently under house arrest in L’Manberg so he wasn’t sure why they were even trying to trick him with that.

Either way, it got him up and crawling out of the basement to search for something to do. It tended to quiet them down when he was doing things, at least more so than they normally were. He was about to climb up the second ladder to the chest room, only to be distracted by a low mooing from behind him. He smiled as the cow nudged his hand gently and he stroked its head. Techno still hadn’t told him exactly why he had a cow in his basement but he wasn’t about to question it, just content to stroke its hair.

_Aweeeee_

_Cow Pog_

_Henry!_

Tommy winced at the last voice but ignored it, focusing on the cow in front of him. He finally managed to pull himself away from the animal and back up to the basement, unloading the scutes he had pocketed into Techno’s chests. He did take some golden apples as well, since it was only fair. He started munching on one, only for the voices to start yelling at him for stealing.

“Guys, it’s hardly stealing when it’s my house too.” ( _Home Home_ ) “I’m sure he doesn’t mind.”

They were all quick to remind him that Techno did indeed seem to mind but he ignored them. He looked through Techno’s chests more, taking a few pieces of iron to take down to his room. He debated taking some gold as well but even he knew not to mess with Techno’s gold. While he might not have as many of the gold hoarding tendencies of a normal Piglin, he was sure to get angry with Tommy for touching it. As he was closing the chests, the voices decided to start screaming again.

_Philza!_

_DADZA_

_Go help Phil_

_Phil’s in danger_

_Help him!_

Tommy nearly doubled over, slapping his hands over his ears for how loud they were.

“Guys, you already tried this, I know Philza’s not here.” He complained.

_Not a trick_

_Truth_

_Philza’s in danger!_

“Where?” He asked softly but none of them seemed all that eager to do anything other than scream that Phil was in danger.

He grabbed Techno’s cape again, thankful that his clothes were at least somewhat dry as he stepped out into the snow, looking out over the land curiously. He knew it was probably stupid to go out into the forest on the whims of some voices in his head but when was he ever smart? (The voices were quick to reassure him that he was indeed smart, thank you voices). He took off towards the trees, noting quickly that Techno’s prints went the other direction. His movements were rewarded (or punished, he wasn’t sure), by the voices growing louder in insistence.

He ventured farther than he had since he’d come to Techno’s house, thankful that it was still pretty early because he was not wanting to get lost out here in the dark. Just when he was about to turn back and write it off as the voices deciding to inconvenience him again, there was a loud crashing sound from off in the trees that he spun to face so fast he nearly fell. He took off towards the sound (again, not the smartest thing he could’ve done), and skidded in the snow as he came across a trail of broken branches. He felt sick to his stomach as he noticed blood staining the snow and the voices raised their own concerns as well.

“Phil?” Tommy called into the snow, already scrambling to follow the trail. “Philza!” His breath caught in his throat as he caught sight of a large lump in the snow, grey wings lying awkwardly in the snow. “Dad!”

He rushed to the figure, careful not to step on his fathers wings as he dropped next to his shoulder, shaking him desperately. He was trying not to panic, he really was, but images of Wilbur’s body falling to the ground were still fresh in his mind and the loud screaming from inside his head didn’t help. Just as he felt tears begin to sting his eyes, Philza stirred.

“Toms?” Philza managed to push himself up into a semi sitting position as Tommy latched onto him desperately, his breathing harsh.

“What happened? I heard a crash and you were in the snow and I don’t even know how you got here but I saw blood and I was so scared and-”

“Tommy, Tommy, I’m okay.” Phil promised, petting Tommy’s hair gently before the teenager pulled away to examine him. “I was trying to get to Techno’s house but I didn’t realize how weak my wings were. His house is somewhere around here…… Why are you out here?” The reality seemed to catch up with Phil and Tommy laughed nervously.

“Oh, Ya I found Techno’s house a while ago and convinced him to let me hang around. Come on big man, I’ll help you get there.”

Tommy offered his hand to the older man who took it gratefully. Tommy had to duck to avoid getting hit in the face as Phil’s wings shot out to try and steady himself. He could see places where the feathers were out of place, as well as the fact that the blood he’d seen had come from a large slash down his father’s right wing but chose not to comment on that. Not yet at least. He guided them both back to Techno’s house with the unhelpful commentary of the voices ringing in his ears.

By the time they made it back to Techno’s house, Phil was leaning very heavily on Tommy, though he could tell he was trying not to. Phil folded his wings rather painfully to fit through the doorway before they got him situated in front of the fire where Tommy had been asleep earlier.

“I’ll go get more wood.” Tommy promised, turning and pulling the door back open, only to be met with Techno’s startled face.

“You’re awake.” Techno tilted his head and Tommy grinned.

“I am and I found Phil.”

“Phil’s here?” Techno nearly pushed Tommy out of the way to get inside, much to his displeasure. Techno glanced at ~~his father~~ his friend having stolen one of Techno’s chairs to sit in front of the fire and frowned. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine Tech.” He promised, though he almost immediately winced as he shifted his wings. “My wings are just a little messed up.”

“What happened?” Tommy asked, unable to contain his curiosity as he shut the door behind Techno. ( _That’s rude to ask_ the voices were quick to berate him)

“They haven’t been right since the explosion honestly.” Phil admitted, shifting in the chair. “I haven’t flown with them since I got here so they haven’t had a chance to get stronger.”

“Why were you flying?” Techno asked curiously. “How did you even get out of house arrest? You should’ve told me, I would’ve helped you.”

“I didn’t know I was doing this.” Phil sighed. “Ranboo helped me get the monitor off and I knew they would find out quickly so I grabbed everything I needed and left. Crashed just a little bit away from here and Tommy found me.”

“I was just out for a fucking walk and I hear him fall from the sky. It was loud as hell.” Tommy laughed softly, failing to mention the fact that the voices had been even louder.

Techno frowned and seemed to be debating saying something else but before he could, there was a loud knocking at the door.

They all tensed and Tommy moved behind Techno without thinking.

_Scaredy_ _Cat_

_Awe, Big Brother Techno_

_Tommy Protection Squad_

Tommy frowned at this as Techno drew his sword and started towards the door. He wasn’t hiding, he was just being cautious and Techno was the one with the sword. Which was why now that the older man had moved, he shifted closer to Philza, who extended his wings to shield Tommy. The blond stared at Philza’s wings for several seconds before peaking over them cautiously. Techno glanced through the window and relaxed, sheathing his sword and opening the door.

“Hello Ghostbur.” He sighed and Phil refolded his wings, finally allowing Tommy to see his ghostly brother.

Wilbur floated just a few centimeters off of the ground as he entered the house, grinning at Tommy and Phil happily. Behind him was a blue sheep that looked surprisingly okay with being dragged around on a lead and it seemed just as happy to come into Techno’s house.

“Hello Tommy! Have you met Friend yet?”


	4. But Don't Blame Me Because I Can't Help Where I Come From

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mayhaps Technoblade has made a mistake

**But Don't Blame Me Because I Can't Help Where I Come From**

The blue sheep, aka Friend was apparently incredibly patient because Wilbur had apparently been dragging it around for several weeks now and everyone just seemed to know about it except Tommy, much to Techno’s amusement.

Though he wasn’t particularly thrilled to pretty much be having a ~~family~~ reunion in his living room right now, it was refreshing to see Tommy smile as easily as he did with Ghostbur and Phil around. Techno, on the other hand, was already growing tired of interacting with people. Being around Ghostbur was still rather strange too. The Ghost had followed Tommy down to the basement to introduce Friend to Techno’s cow, leaving Techno with Phil.

“Let me see your wings.” He demanded and Phil seemed to know better than to argue.

Techno frowned as the older man extended his wings to their full. He hadn’t seen Phil properly in several weeks but even when he had seen him, he hadn’t been able to see his wings. Dream was pretty strict about certain things in his land and one of those was that no one was allowed to fly and Phil had respected that, hiding his wings away since the first day he’d arrived.

Technoblade wasn’t afraid of much, even as a child but the few times he had felt any semblance of fear, Philza had been able to comfort him and shield him from the world by wrapping his wings around them both. Now though, they could hardly seem to stay still without shaking and Techno couldn’t stop his anger from rising as he examined the large slash along Phil’s right wing.

“This didn’t come from the explosion.” Techno muttered, moving to grab potions from his chest.

“No, it didn’t.”

“Want to tell me where it came from?” He asked, grabbing a regen potion and handing it to the winged man carefully.

_Who hurt him?_

_Get their blood_

_Blood for the blood god_

_Hunt them down_

Phil sighed deeply, downing the potion in one go as Techno tried to quiet the voices. “I’m not allowed to fly here and though I promised not to, Dream wanted more reassurance that I wouldn’t go behind his back and fly anyway.”

_KILL HIM_

_HOW DARE HE_

_BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD_

_DREAM’S BLOOD_

“Dream did this to you?” Techno’s fist clenched as the voices screamed and Phil sighed as he saw it.

“It was weeks ago, when I first joined but when I tried to fly here, it pulled on it and caused it to bleed again is all. That potion will seal it back up.”

“That’s not all Phil and you know it!” Techno snapped, struggling to even hear him over Chat. “He shouldn’t have done that, rules be damned. I’ll kill him for that Phil.”

“Techno, you don’t need to come back to fighting over something that happened weeks ago. I thought you’d finally been able to settle down here.”

“It’s so hard Phil.” Techno could feel his nails digging into his palm but he didn’t care. He paced angrily, wanting nothing more than to go after Dream already. “They want his blood Phil, they’re so loud.”

“How long have they been this bad for?” Phil asked softly, and Techno hated the pity in his voice.

“Doesn’t matter, I’m dealing with it but they’re trying to get me to kill Dream at the moment so it’s not the easiest thing in the world to stand here and do nothing.”

“Then do something.” He said it so casually that Techno stumbled, turning to stare at him in shock. “I don’t mean go kill him but go, get out of the house and do something to appease them so they quiet down. That’s what we used to do when you couldn’t do what they wanted.”

Techno sighed deeply but obeyed, grabbing his cloak from where he’d discarded it onto a chair and storming out of the door.

He decided to head towards his village, which had become his on accident. He traded with them and protected them and they seemed to like him a lot now, which had been nice when he didn’t have anyone around. He hoped they wouldn’t be afraid of his anger. He knew he wasn’t angry at Phil but it was much easier to pretend to be than to accept the fact that he really couldn’t do anything against Dream if he wanted to. He didn’t agree with Dream much of the time, in fact he rather resented him for everything he had done to Tommy (not that Tommy would tell him what happened beyond the moments he panicked and spilled things by accident). The problem came in the fact that he still technically owed Dream a favor.

He had just reached his village when he noticed a certain green hooded blonde sitting on a roof and staring at him. He should’ve been used to Dream seemingly being summoned by his thoughts by now but he nearly shot him. Granted, part of his wished he would have because the image of Phil’s bloodied wings was still fresh in his mind.

“Hello Techno.” Dream’s grin was visible from under his mask as he leapt down off the roof to meet him. “Pleasure to see you.”

“Hello Dream.”

“Still no sign of Tommy then?”

“Nope.” Techno shrugged, already starting past the other man.

“Really? I noticed a load of cobblestone around your house the other day.” Dream was trying to bait him but Techno grinned to himself as Chat yelled.

“I got bored.”

“Bored so you built a cobblestone tower? I thought you cared about your property value.”

“You’re so judgmental. We were raised together, we share a lot of habits.” Techno shrugged and Dream’s eyes narrowed behind his mask. “Why are you even out here? I thought you’d searched around here already.”

“Doesn’t hurt to check again.” Dream followed Techno further into the village. The villagers stared at them but neither noticed. “Have you seen Phil lately?”

That caught Techno off guard but he managed to hide it as well as he could. “He came around a few days ago, why?”

“L’Manberg is apparently looking for him.” Well that was at least mildly concerning. He didn’t need L’Manberg somehow finding him and showing up at his door for multiple reasons. “Don’t know why but I figured he would’ve gone to you.”

“Not as far as I know, but maybe he’s hiding with my horse.” That got a small laugh from Dream and seemed to distract him.

Dream ended up just trailing around after Techno for the next few hours as he traded and collected things in the village. Eventually, he started back towards the lands of the SMP after extracting a promise that Techno would tell him if he saw Tommy. ( _Dream is gone CrabRave!_ ) Of course, Techno didn’t plan on keeping that promise as he didn’t owe Dream anything unless he called in the favor he owed him. Techno might not be an ally of Dream but even he knew Dream wouldn’t lose his only advantage over Techno for the possibility of getting Tommy again. And even if for some reason he did, Phil would never allow him to take the kid that easily.

Techno took a longer path back to his house than he intended but it meant that he got to think more. Would he give Tommy back to Dream if he called in his favor?

The fact that he was hesitating made the voices start screaming at him.

_TechnoTraitor_

_DONT YOU DARE_

_YOU CAN’T_

_DREAM WILL KILL HIM_

“I’m not going to guys.” He reassured him, but they didn’t quiet down. They knew he was unsure and they were angry about it. “When did you all get so attached to him?”

He knew when, because it was around the same time he had. He hadn’t seen Tommy properly in years and he hadn’t particularly been interested in being a “family” during the few times he’d seen him. And then everything with Pogtopia happened and he’d been dragged back into everything he’d hated and when he’d finally run to the literal tundra to escape everyone, they showed up anyway. He didn’t mind Phil coming around, mostly because he thought of the older man as more of a friend than a father, but every time Tommy came around, he couldn’t escape the fact that they’d been raised together and to Tommy, that meant they were brothers.

And he couldn’t escape from the fact that he cared for the kid.

He finally made it back to his house and Carl was out of his pen, pacing towards him nervously. That was not the strangest thing, the horse sometimes roamed and he trusted him to come back, but the way he was pacing like something had spooked him was not normal. The horse was sometimes smarter than he was and it took a lot to spook him. He managed to grab the reins and help him back into his stall, though now he was much more cautious in approaching his door. There wasn’t anything to suggest someone unwanted had been here but as he approached the door, he could hear screaming.

“No, Phil, what aren’t you telling me?” Tommy snapped just as Techno opened the door. Phil was standing with his wings spread wide, and he glanced at Techno worriedly as he entered. Tommy had his back to the pinkette but he could see him literally shaking as he glared at the older man. Ghostbur was sitting at the table, petting his blue sheep and he waved at Techno happily as he entered.

“Tommy, I don’t know what you’re talking about, just calm down and we can talk about it.”

“No, you’re lying! You’re a traitor just like Techno!”

“Why am I a traitor now?” He asked tiredly and Tommy whirled around to glare at him.

“You were with Dream!” He cried angrily, swinging at Techno wildly.

The piglin hybrid grabbed onto Tommy’s wrist to still him, attempting to gather his thoughts quickly. “Tommy, what are you talking about?”

“You were with Dream, I know you were! You owe him something, you’re going to tell him where I am! I’m not going back to him Techno, I won’t let you give me back!”

“I wasn’t- How did you know I saw Dream?”

_Spy_

_Raccoonboy_

_Should’ve let Dream have him_

_He’s so upset_

“What were you doing with him? You know what he’s done!” Tommy snapped, wrenching himself out of Techno’s grip.

“For your information, I ran into him on accident Tommy. And as a matter of fact, I don’t know what he’s done because you refuse to tell me!”

“I shouldn’t have to, Dream is the one who banished me!”

“If I remember correctly, that was Tubbo.”

Tommy was truly shaking now, and Techno could see tears welling up in the younger boys eyes. The voices were truly divided now, half screaming to comfort him while the others demanded he kick him out. Tommy saved him the trouble of deciding, because he shoved past Techno and hurried towards the door.

“Fuck you Technoblade, I’m not going to sit here and wait until you sell me out.” He slammed the door behind him and it took everyone several seconds to move again.

“Techno, what did you do?” Phil asked softly. “Why were you-”

“Dream was in the village. I don’t know how he knew but I didn’t sell him out. God knows they won’t let me.” He sighed, pointing to his head tiredly.

“You’re right Friend.” Ghostbur said suddenly from the side. He stood up, pulling the sheep with him. “We’re going to go look for Tommy before he gets too far.”

“I’ll come with you.” Phil said instantly, standing up to grab his coat. “Techno, you should stay here in case he comes back.”

Techno knew Phil wanted him to stay for more than that but he nodded anyway.

“I will.” He promised as he watched Phil, Wilbur, and Friend the sheep head off into the snow in search of his brother. He still didn’t know how Tommy would’ve possibly known he had met up with Dream but he had upset Tommy more than he’d meant to. He glanced at the darkening sky and for once, the voices were in agreement with each other.

_Hope they find him before it gets dark_


	5. And Running is Something That We've Always Done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommyinnit makes a really bad, really stupid decision. How did no one see this coming?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW For this chapter
> 
> Hallucinations  
> Mild Manipulation  
> Mention of Blood

**And Running is Something That We've Always Done**

Tommy stumbled through the snow, refusing to look back, even as he could hear Wilbur and Phil calling for him. He should’ve listened the moment the voices started telling him that Techno was with Dream but he’d hoped that they were lying to him.

He’d managed to drag Wilbur and Friend back up to the main floor, after several hours of showing him around, where Phil was sitting alone.

“Where did Techno go?” Tommy had asked curiously.

“Just out for a walk. You know he doesn’t like staying in one place too long.”

“Friend thinks Techno just doesn’t like us.” Ghostbur said suddenly, patting the sheep on the head.

“He likes you fine Wilbur.” Phil sighed at the same time Tommy asked, “How do you know what he thinks?”

“Well he’s very smart.” Ghostbur said indignantly and the sheep was practically glaring at Tommy. “He remembers L’Manberg from before he was a sheep so he remembers Techno too.” That caught both of the living people in the room off guard, so much so that Tommy nearly pitched out of his seat.

“What’dya mean Wil?” Phil asked softly and Ghostbur shrugged.

“What’s there to mean? He remembers things.”

“He means about the before he was a sheep bit.” Tommy huffed and the sheep made a loud noise in his direction.

“That’s just rude, Friend.” Ghostbur scolded him. “You don’t even remember why you hate him.”

Phil and Tommy exchanged a glance, both realizing that they weren’t going to get any answers out of Ghostbur at the moment so Tommy sighed and settled back in his chair.

“So, when will Techno be back?”

“He didn’t say. Knowing him, probably closer to dark.”

“Where’s he even going? There's nothing but snow around here.” That was when the voices started screaming.

_TechnoTraitor!_

_He’s with Dream!_

_Phil knows_

_He’s lying to you!_

_He’s going to tell Dream where you are!_

Their sudden volume caused him to flinch, slamming his hands over his ears so fast that he knocked himself out of his chair for real this time and onto the floor. Phil and Ghostbur stared at him in shock. Friend, that stupid blue sheep, nudged him curiously as he tried to sit himself back up.

“Tommy?” Ghostbur asked curiously. “What’s wrong?”

“Techno’s with Dream.” He said before he could stop himself. The voices whispered, quieter now as if they were afraid of being heard.

_He owes him a favor_

_He’s going to sell you out_

_He doesn’t love you_

“Tommy, what are you talking about?” Phil asked and the voices whispered louder.

_Phil knows_

_He knows what Techno owes_

_Traitor_

_Killza_

“He’s with Dream, isn’t he? He owes him a favor.”

“How do you know about that?”

“Why does it matter?” Tommy cried angrily, finally pushing Friend’s face away and getting to his feet. “Why is he meeting with Dream?”

“I don’t know!” He snapped back, his wings unconsciously expanding. Normally, it was a comfort but now it felt like a threat, like he was trapping Tommy. “You’re panicking Tommy, he’s not really with Dream.”

“No Phil, what are you not telling me?”

And then Techno had come in and all hell had broken loose. He pushed past Techno and into the snow, instantly regretting it as the cold air hit his arms. And now here he was, stumbling through the trees under a rapidly darkening sky. He was an idiot, he knew that, but what else could he have done at that moment? Techno had betrayed him, apparently Phil had too, and Ghostbur wasn’t much of an ally to have.

His brain couldn’t handle this and the voices certainly didn’t help. They couldn’t seem to agree on what he needed to do, as half of them were telling him to go back, the others to keep going, and one or two was telling him to head to L’Manberg.

He knew those were the ones that were constantly calling for him to go back to Tubbo but as always, he ignored them. He wasn’t about to go crawling back to Tubbo, not now. So imagine his shock when he nearly ran straight into his shorter friend. He stumbled back in shock, collapsing into the powdery snow.

_Tubbo!_

_Why is Tubbo here?_

_Tubbo’s not here_

_Not real Tommy_

_Don’t fall for it_

He wasn’t an idiot, he knew the voices were right and Tubbo wasn’t actually there but it was still a shock to see him. He hadn’t seen the spectre of his friend much since he’d moved in with Techno but here he was, just staring at him in the snow.

“Tubbo?” He asked softly, despite knowing that his friend would never answer him.

He only watched Tommy in silence. The only good part about Tubbo showing up again was that the voices were always quieter when he was around. Once they had made sure he knew his friend wasn’t actually here, they tended to fall silent.

The L’Manberg president watched him as he got to his feet, before turning and starting off into the trees. Tommy started to follow him, before thinking better of it. That made the image of Tubbo pause, turning around and making a grab for his hand. Obviously he couldn’t actually grab onto Tommy but his intention was clear. He took off into the trees again and when the blonde stayed still, he frowned and motioned frantically. Tommy stared at him in confusion.

“Why do you want me to follow you all of a sudden?”

“Tommy?” Oh, that would be why.

Tommy turned slowly, being met by green eyes staring at him from behind a white porcelain mask. Of course, it was just his luck that he would run into Dream now, when he was already confused out of his mind. Just looking at Dream made his head start to throb as the voices decided to pitch in their own opinions on whether or not he should trust the masked man.

“Who are you talking to?” He asked softly and Tommy flinched at the sound of his voice mixed with the noises in his head.

“No one.” He said instantly, because he wasn’t about to tell Dream shit. Glancing over his shoudler, he could see that Tubbo had disappeared. “Well, it’s nice to see you but I’ll be going now.” He tried to walk calmly past the older man but his arm was caught quickly.

“Woah, Tommy, calm down! I’ve been looking for you for weeks, where have you been?”

“Around, just wandering.” They both knew that was a lie. Just looking at him, still in one of Techno’s shirts and looking much more alive than he had been in Logstedshire could tell anyone that.

“It’s too cold for you to be out here without a proper coat.” Dream said, glancing at the sky. “And it’s getting dark.”

“I’ll be fine.” He was immediately proven wrong when he heard a zombie growl in the distance and he flinched closer to Dream than he wanted to be, hyper aware of Dream still holding onto him.

“C’mon Tommy, let's get you somewhere safe.”

“I’m good Dream, really.” He tried to plant his heels but Dream was much stronger than him.

“Tommy, I’ve been searching for you for weeks, the least you can do is let me make sure you’re safe for the night.” The voices protested wildly at this but before he could start to sort through them, Dream was already tugging him along.

“Dream, seriously, let go, I’ll be fine if you just-” He wasn’t sure what happened but he found himself on the ground again, his face burning. He tried to scramble back to his feet, only to feel another sharp blow come to his head and his vision was taken over by black spots. The voices were quick to fill him in as Dream crouched blurrily in front of him.

_He hit you_

_How dare he!_

_Your head’s bleeding_

_He could’ve hurt you worse_

_Why did he hit you?_

_You’re gonna pass out soon_

“Oh Tommy.” Dream said softly, cupping his hand under Tommy’s chin and stroking his burning cheek gently. Tommy hated the fact that he leaned into it for comfort, just wanting the pain in his head that was already becoming overwhelming to stop. “I wish you’d just listen to me for once and I wouldn’t have to do that to you.”

Tommy couldn’t find the strength to respond, especially because he suddenly felt much colder than before. He felt his body being lifted up and as his head rolled, he could see red staining the snow. Oh, so he was bleeding, that was interesting. He must’ve blacked out after having that thought because the next thing he was aware of was the screeching of an iron door opening. He whined, turning and burying his head in the chest of whoever was holding him instinctually. By the time he remembered it was Dream, he couldn’t bring himself to move. There were voices around him and it took him several moments to recognize one of them as Sam’s.

“When you asked me to build this, you didn’t tell me it was for him.” Build what?

“I wasn’t planning on it, but for now I need a place to keep him while he heals.”

“What happened to him?”

“Technoblade.” Tommy tried to raise his head at the mention of his brother but he felt a hand stopping him. “Found him bleeding out in the snow, mumbling about him. And I figured if this was built to keep him in, it can keep him out too.”

“It’s not finished yet. I mean, we’ve got room but it won’t be as secure.”

“It’ll work for now.”

Tommy didn’t even want to think about why Dream had something built to trap Technoblade, especially when he thought Dream and Techno were allies. Their voices went quieter and Tommy felt himself moving again, and eventually being laid down on a pile of blankets.

“I’ll be back to check on you soon.” Dream promised and Tommy hated himself for wishing he wouldn’t leave. It was so cold in here.

When he finally did open his eyes, he was met once again with Tubbo’s face. His friend had that look that Tommy could tell, even without him speaking, that he had been right about something that Tommy had ignored.

“Ya ya, you tried to warn me.” Tommy groaned, wincing as he rolled onto his side. Tubbo didn’t say anything, just sat down on the floor in front of him and looked at him curiously. “What?”

The older boy shrugged, tracing patterns on the black bricked floors. The whole room was made of the same material and there were no windows anywhere. That was depressing.

“Where am I?”

“A Prison.” Tommy yelped in shock as Tubbo just stared at him. “What’s wrong?”

“You- you talked. You don’t normally talk. You just sit there.”

“Well you didn’t follow me when I tried to help you so I figured I’d at least try and keep your attention.”

“Do you hate me?” Tommy asked suddenly, not even realizing he was saying it until Tubbo was laughing.

“Tommy, you know I’m not real, don’t you? I’m just a part of your brain, so I’ll answer however you want me to.”

“I liked you better when you didn’t talk.” He huffed and Tubbo laughed a little at that.

“No you didn’t. You’re lonely. That’s why I’m here after all.”

Tommy just rolled over again, facing the wall. Screw Fake-Tubbo and his logic, Tommy wasn’t lonely, he was tired. The pain in his head was horrific now and all he wanted to do was sleep. He heard Tubbo keep talking but he wasn’t sure what he was saying anymore. Probably rambling on about the bloody Romans again. He remembered that his friend had been obsessed with them a while ago. He actually didn’t mind Tubbo’s voice lulling him to sleep, it was actually quite nice. Maybe he did miss his friend more than he wanted to think.

Screw Fake-Tubbo for being right.


	6. Me, well I'm well, well I mean I'm in Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Niki Nihachu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW
> 
> Injuries  
> Panic Attacks

**Me Well, I'm Well, Well I Mean I'm in Hell**

Niki was used to being underestimated. She was never sure whether it was simply the fact that she was a girl, or just her soft spoken nature but she tended to be overlooked and forgotten about. She hadn’t found out about Tommy’s exile for nearly a week after it had happened and when she did, she stormed into the cabinet meeting she hadn’t even been invited to, Ranboo by her side. Her brother didn’t particularly like confrontation but he also didn’t think Tommy’s exile was right so he came to be a silent support. That, and he’d been the one who had told her about visiting him in exile before the younger boy had apparently decided he didn’t want anyone around giving him pity.

“What have you done?” She snapped, causing the boys in the room to jump in surprise.

“What’s wrong Niki?” Tubbo asked curiously and Niki glared at him so harshly that he shrunk back.

“You know what’s wrong. You didn’t even have the decency to tell me you were banishing Tommy, not that you’ve told me much of anything recently. Am I not still a member of this cabinet?”

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted to be. You practically had a breakdown when we told you about Wilbur.” Tubbo regained his courage and met her glare. The Wilbur comment stung but he wasn’t wrong, she had cried for days after she’d found out. “As for Tommy, my decision is already made. I did what was best for L’Manberg, so that we wouldn’t go to war with Dream.”

“You’re all idiots. You banished Tommy because Dream demanded it? We have done nothing but fight against Dream before now, why are we giving into him now?”

“Niki, you can sit down and join this meeting and we can-” She had a sword pointed at Quackity before he could get closer to her and he stared at her in shock.

“Careful, they outnumber us.” Ranboo warned from somewhere above her head, though she could see his hand on his own sword already.

“You didn’t want my opinion before but now that I’ve made a scene you are going to placate me?” They at least had the decency to look guilty as she sheathed her sword. “No, I’m going to go do something useful.” She turned and stormed out, Ranboo following her without hesitation. As they headed back into the city, Ranboo chuckled.

“I forgot how scary you could be.”

“I wasn’t sure how else to make them listen.” She admitted, turning towards the docks. “I don’t know what to do now though. Tommy said he didn’t want you coming around anymore.”

“I don’t know either.” He admitted, running his hands through his hair tiredly. “But we’ll figure it out.”

Figuring it out apparently meant that Ranboo went off to help L’Manberg nearly execute Technoblade and then help Phil escape from house arrest while Niki distracted them. All the while, Niki couldn’t help but keep an eye on the lands of the SMP.

Niki knew Dream was hiding something. She wasn’t sure what, but she knew the way he disappeared from L’Manberg and seemingly the entirety of the SMP for days at a time was not normal, even for him. She was one of the few people that could freely walk the SMP lands, so she used that to follow the hooded man the next time he left. He headed towards what Bad and Skeppy had dubbed the Badlands, an area Dream hardly even paid attention to.

He was fast, but she’d nicked a compass from the community house that George had left behind by accident, one he used for the manhunts to track Dream, so she was able to keep up. Of course, she wasn’t stupid enough to think that he didn’t know she was there so when the compass swung around to say he was now behind her, she paused and waited.

It took him several minutes to seemingly realize she wouldn’t double back because he appeared at the treeline, his eyes tracking her through the ceramic mask as he circled her.

“What are you doing here Niki? Where’d you get that compass?”

“The community chest, and I was seeing what you were doing.” She said boldly. She wasn’t sure where her courage was coming from but she leaned into it. “Not exactly like you to leave the SMP often.”

“I’ll take that back now.” He held out his hand and she reluctantly gave him the compass, not really wanting to fight him. “I’m glad you came actually, it saves me trying to convince you to come.” He waved his hand for her to follow him and she did so cautiously.

They walked in silence, Dream only occasionally slowing down to allow her to navigate the strange terrain until they came across a clearing. In the middle of it was a large black building that everything in her screamed to avoid.

“What is this?” She asked and Dream chuckled.

“You are good at administering healing potions, aren’t you?” He asked instead of answering.

“I suppose so.” She said cautiously and he nodded, flicking a lever that triggered several pistons to let them into the building.

“Good, I need you to keep someone alive for me.”

“Keep them alive? What have you done?” She wasn’t necessarily an enemy of Dream but she didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him.

He didn’t respond, just striding down the long halls silently. Sam appeared out of seemingly nowhere, nodding at her as she passed. She didn’t return it and he didn’t follow them further. There was a single door at the end of a hallway and Dream paused in front of it, pulling out several potions and handing them to her.

“Why me?” She asked, taking them cautiously. “Surely you know how to manage healing potions.”

“I do.” He seemed rather offended by that but he brushed past it. “It’s just the fact that the person in there isn’t exactly trusting of me at the moment.”

“Who is it?”

He didn’t respond, just opening the door and ushering her in. He didn’t follow her, instead closing the door behind her quickly as if whoever was in here would dart out. Her eyes took several moments to adjust to the dim lantern light that bounced around the walls. It wasn’t a small cell, in fact it was a generous size but it was mostly empty. The floor was stone, as were the walls, and the only furniture was a bed and a mess of blankets in the corner.

“Hello?” There was no response, other than the ragged breathing coming from the pile of blankets.

She wasn’t sure who was in here, or why but it was obvious from the way their breath rattled around the stone that they were ill. She walked carefully towards the bed, not wanting to scare whoever it was if they were to awake, her mind whirling as to who it would be. Even as she got closer, she couldn’t make out the person who had buried themselves in the blankets. As she pulled back the top one, she nearly screamed, dropping it back onto the sleeping figure.

Tommyinnit was lying prone and pale in the bed, breathing shallowly.

Tommyinnit was supposed to be dead.

She had been in L’Manberg when Dream had confirmed to Tubbo his friend had died and she’d been the one to comfort the younger boy until he’d practically passed out from crying. And yet here he was, laying in a prison that Dream had put him in. After several seconds she collected herself and pulled the blond into a sitting position, leaning him against the wall.

Healing and Regeneration potions were fickle things and dangerous if done wrong. A healing potion would heal you but it gave you a type of high that made you unable to feel pain while the potion was in effect. A regeneration, like Niki was examining, was even more dangerous. It caused you to heal rapidly, but it also stole the energy of your body to do so. She didn’t dare give that to Tommy now, not when he wasn’t even awake to begin with. She set it to the side and grabbed the healing potion instead.

She tore one of the blankets and soaked it in the potion carefully, wiping it on the wounds she could see littering the boy's body. It would be more effective to make him drink it but she was afraid he would choke in his unconscious state. Plus this way, he wouldn’t be as affected by whatever high it would give him (Though right now it would probably be a blessing to feel no pain). She wasn’t sure how long she tended to him until all of the wounds she could see were closed but she knew it was longer than she would’ve liked.

Tommy was only a few years younger than her and seeing him or Tubbo or any of the younger members of the SMP injured always hurt her heart. She found herself growing angrier and angrier with Dream for every sword cut or burn she applied the potion to, knowing that he was either responsible for them or let them stay long enough for them to get infected. He claimed Tommy didn’t trust him enough to let him near but even if he’d been conscious, she didn’t think he was much of a threat to Dream in this state. After several minutes she decided to carefully pour at least part of the healing potion down his throat, too afraid of unseen injuries to leave it alone. She moved him away from the cold stone wall and slid him down until he was laying down and his head was in her lap. She wasn’t ever quite sure how to approach people who were injured but she knew Tommy was always clingy when he was sick or hurt so she hoped he would appreciate it even if he wasn’t awake for it.

After that, there wasn’t much that she could do besides sit with him and wait, glancing at the door worriedly, hoping that Dream wouldn’t make her leave until after he woke up but also knowing that with each passing minute, Ranboo might come looking for her. She assumed she’d been here for several hours (though with no windows it was hard to tell) when Tommy stirred. He groaned in pain and she winced, brushing his hair out of his face. Instantly he sucked in a breath, trying to move away from her quickly. She nearly grabbed him to stop him from falling onto the floor but he was too fast, throwing himself away from her and into the corner. She stayed still, watching the boy shake like a leaf in the corner for several seconds until it became obvious he wouldn’t calm down on his own.

“Tommy?” She asked and he flinched at the sound of her voice. She slid down onto the floor, careful to stay several feet from him, but it was obvious he wasn’t registering that she was there.

“No, no I’m sorry, I don’t have anything please I gave you everything.” His eyes darted wildly around the room as he spoke so fast that she hardly understood him at first.

“Tommy, it’s me, Niki. I’m the only one here, you’re safe.” He seemed confused by that and she held up her hands carefully. “I promise you that you’re okay. Can I touch you?”

He shook his head violently, shoving himself back into the corner and she nodded, placing her hands back in her lap. She let him sit there for several minutes, talking softly to him in an attempt to calm him down. Finally, his breathing slowed down to a semi-normal rate and she could see some awareness come back into his eyes.

“Niki?” He asked softly, and she smiled weakly.

“Hey Tommy.”

He extracted himself from the corner slowly, staring at her oddly. “Are you real?”

“I hope so.” She chuckled but at his face she nodded. “I am Tommy, don’t worry.”

“I’ve been seeing shit.” He chuckled, stumbling towards her. Niki stood and held out her hands, ready to catch him if he fell but he managed to drop onto the bed without her help. “Been seein Tubbo a lot. He was here earlier but I guess I fell asleep. Can’t tell if he’s a ghost or I’m just turning into Wilbur.”

“Tubbo’s okay, he’s in L’Manberg still.” She promised, sitting down next to him carefully before frowning. “What do you mean, about Wilbur?”

"He was bad Niki, back in Pogtopia. I dunno if you ever saw it but he was so bad."

"I know." She murmured softly. "But Wil was sick. You're not like that."

Tommy laughed and it was so dry that he started coughing almost instantly. Niki tensed, hovering her hand over his shoulder. She wanted to comfort him but she was afraid that she would send him into another panic if she did. He recovered, still wheezing in pained laughter before he sat up, meeting her eyes tiredly.

“It’s funny.” He rasped, leaning into her hand and she took that as permission to start petting his hair gently.

“What is?” She asked quietly. This felt too much like approaching a wild animal for her liking.

“I used to want to be just like Wilbur. Used to follow him around and copy everything he did ‘til I grew up. Turns out I’m like him after all. I went crazy just like he did. Techno got his wish, no one would even guess he was related to us.” Niki’s heart broke a little more with each sentence and she sighed as he fell silent, smoothing his hair down again.

“You’re not crazy Tommy.” She said softly, guiding his head to lean on her shoulder. “You’re a kid who’s been through a war and been exiled. I think you’re about as sane as you could be.”

“No, you don’t understand Niki.” He didn’t pull away from her but his voice was serious enough to make Niki pause. “I’m not just seeing Tubbo, I’m hearing things, voices and shit. They sit and yell at me and tell me things I shouldn’t know. They know Dream’s outside right now, talking to Punz and that he’s going to take you away soon.”

“He won’t.” She said instantly, before backtracking carefully. “And if he does, I’ll find a way to come back, whether he likes it or not.”

“He can’t do anything to you.” Tommy chuckled, curling his legs up to his chest. “You’re pretty much the only person everyone here likes, he’d have the entire SMP out for his blood if he did anything to you. They think so too.” He pointed tiredly to his head. “They like you.”

“You said they help you know things? They’re trying to keep you safe?” When he nodded, Niki smiled. “Then I like them too.”

He chuckled at that and relaxed against her, and after several moments she could tell he’d already fallen asleep. She sat there for several minutes before there was a clanking of metal and the door screeched open. She shuddered as Dream grinned at her.

“Well thank you Niki, you can be on your way now.” He gestured dramatically towards the door and before she could move, there was a hand gripping her arm. Tommy blinked up at her tiredly, but she could tell how scared he was even now.

“Please don’t leave Niki.” He whispered, burying his head in her shoulder so that Dream couldn’t hear him. “Don’t leave me with him.”

“Niki, I’m not going to ask again.” Dream said sternly and she glared at him.

“I’ll be back.” She whispered gently, untangling his arm from hers. “I promise I’ll be back with someone to help you.”

She let Tommy curl back up under the blanket and she followed Dream out of the door, glaring at him as he locked it behind her.

“How dare you.” She snapped and he blinked in surprise. “You told us he was dead.”

“I thought he was.” He shrugged, taking off into the halls and forcing her to follow him. “Only found him a few days ago and brought him here to heal.”

“Oh ya, he’s healing wonderfully in a cell.”

“I can more than handle him.” He snapped before taking a deep breath. “Thank you for helping me take care of him but you won’t need to come back here again.”

“He’s hardly healed.”

“He’ll be fine. He’s survived for a good few days before you got here.”

“And when I tell everyone he’s alive?”

He laughed without any real amusement. “I doubt they’ll care all that much. They hardly cared when he died.”

“If you think that then you’re blind.” Niki’s hands balled into fists and it was all she could do not to swing at him. “Everyone in L’Manberg cares about him and they’ll come for him when I tell them.”

“If you tell them.” He grabbed onto her arm, forcing her to meet his eyes. “Which you won’t.”

“You don’t control me.”

“You shouldn’t make threats so idly Niki. I’ve been kind to you, you have a comfortable life and privileges no one else does because I like you. That can change very quickly.”

“My threats aren’t idle.” She wrenched her arm out of his grip and he thankfully didn’t grab her again. “I am not an idiot either, I know what you could do if you wanted but I don’t think you will. I’ll be going back to L’Manberg now but even if I don’t tell anyone, I will be coming back here. He’s ill, more so than the potions could fix right now and since you can’t handle him, I think you’ll need me to keep him alive.”

He laughs at that and this time it seemed like he was actually amused, which she wasn’t sure if she liked. “When you first joined, I hadn’t even heard your voice. When did you become so bold Niki?”

“Since you started messing with my family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Niki going feral and having a villain arc is one of my favorite story arcs so I wanted to explore what she could've done if she directed that anger to the right person


	7. Come in if You'd Like but Just Don't Tell My Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy's not doing well in prison but what can he do about it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW
> 
> Hallucination

**Come in if You'd Like, But Just Don't Tell My Family**

Niki wasn’t ashamed to say that she ran from the prison as fast as she could. She threw an ender pearl the second she could see L’Manberg, feeling the cold sinking feeling as it dragged her body with it, landing her painfully just on the edges of the borders. She rolled as she hit the ground, feeling the cobble path beneath her rip her jeans and scrape her palms. She scrambled up and made for the docks, not wanting to be outside of the border longer than she had to be. Dream wasn’t one to bluff and she didn’t trust him not to have followed her back in the hopes of catching her in the SMP lands after dark.

She could see Ranboo pacing the length of the docks and when he caught sight of her, he moved so quickly that she almost thought he teleported.

“Niki! I thought you were joking about following Dream and then you disappeared, I thought something happened to you!”

“No, I’m okay, I’m okay.” She promised, giving him a side hug in an attempt to hug him and also keep moving. “Do you know where Tubbo is? Something happened and he needs to know about it, quickly.”

“He’s having a meeting with the cabinet I think. Are we crashing another meeting?” He took off in the direction of their meeting room, leaving Niki to scramble to catch up.

“If we have to. Slow down, why do you all have such long legs?” She complained, which made him laugh a little. By the time they made it to the doorway, Niki’s heartrate had finally slowed down but it shot back up again as she pushed open the door.

“Niki!” Fundy said in surprise, causing the others to glance up at her. “And Ranboo.”

“Hello Fundy. Tubbo, I need to talk to you.” The younger boy frowned, glancing at Quackity. That was another development that she hadn’t been all that happy to learn, that Quackity was making most of the decisions for Tubbo.

“Niki, can it wait? We’re in the middle of a meeting.” Quackity said and Ranboo rolled his eyes before she could.

“I think she was talking to Tubbo.” They all seemed surprised by his interjection but it was enough to draw Tubbo out of whatever stupor he was in.

“Ya, we can talk, this meeting is over anyway.”

“Tubbo-”

“It’s fine Quackity.” He promised, smiling tiredly at the older boy. “Whatever it is, it’s obviously important.”

Niki was grateful that Quackity and Fundy left without any further protests, leaving her with Ranboo and Tubbo. Not for the first time in the past few weeks she noted how tired the president looked and she couldn’t help but feel angry at Wilbur for appointing Tubbo to that position. He was only 16, why did they give him this responsibility?

“So, what’s wrong Niki?” He asked with a small smile and she hesitated for several seconds before deciding to not beat around the bush.

“Tommy’s alive, and Dream has him locked up in a prison.”

“What?” Ranboo asked, while Tubbo just stared at her before shaking his head.

“No, no, that’s impossible Niki, I saw the tower-”

“I’m telling the truth!” She insisted, glancing back at the door. “Dream led me there because Tommy wouldn’t let him close enough to give him healing potions and he doesn’t want me to tell anyone so he’s going to let me go back but I can’t get him out of there alone Tubbo.”

“Dream said-”

“Dream lied Tubbo, I saw him, clear as day.”

“That’s where you went.” Ranboo muttered and Niki glanced back at him apologetically. She had thrown this on him as much as Tubbo. When she glanced back, said boy was staring at an enchanted compass intensely.

“Where’s this prison?” He asked quietly.

“Towards the Badlands.”

“That’s where my compass has been pointing. I thought that it broke after…. Well but that means he really is alive. And Dream’s locked him up.” He glanced up at her and she could see the same anger in his eyes that he’d had when working under Schlatt. “Niki, we have to get him out of there.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Little to the knowledge of the three L’Manberg members, Tommyinnit was already having a conversation with Tubbo, even if he was an odd hallucination version of him.

“Why’s my brain gotta be so screwy Tubbo?” He asked tiredly, leaning against the wall carefully.

The healing potions Niki had given him had helped close up the worst of his head wound but it was still tender. His thoughts were clearer than before and he had enough of a mind to be embarrassed by how he had acted around her but he had a head injury so hopefully she’d forget about it. She had left behind a regeneration potion that he was drinking slowly, mostly due to the voices and Tubbo reminding him how bad it would be if he drank it all at once.

_IllInnit_

_Don’t make fun of him when he’s hurt_

_He’s seeing people again_

_It’s just Tubbo_

_Real Tubbo doesn’t care about us_

_Hallucination POG_

“They don’t like me, do they?” Fake Tubbo asked with a small laugh and Tommy glared at him.

“You’re the one who said you’re part of my brain and shit, you should know what they’re saying.”

“I tend not to listen to them. They’re not in my head after all.”

“That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Must be cause I’m from your head.” Tubbo laughed, moving to shove him and they both ignored the fact that his hand passed through Tommy’s shoulder.

“I didn’t miss this.” Tommy huffed, but he smiled anyway. “I wonder what real you is doing.”

“That’s rude, just because I’m in your head doesn’t mean I’m not real.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s exactly what that means.”

Fake-Tubbo shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I’m probably not doing much. Maybe in meetings, maybe talking with Niki or looking for Phil. Can’t tell what time it is so I don’t know.”

“I wonder if Niki told you I’m here.” Tommy wondered out loud, much to the annoyance of the voices.

_Stop Talking to him_

_He’s not real_

_Probably not_

_Tubbo doesn’t care_

_Niki cares though_

“Probably.” Fake Tubbo answered, getting up to try and peer through the small slots in the iron door. “Niki’s too nice not to try and save you.” He turned away from the door and examined Tommy, which made the blonde shift uncomfortably. “You should sleep more, your eyes are really bad.”

“I’m a raccoon, Bitch.” Tommy said instantly, which made his hallucination laugh before frowning.

“I’m serious Tommy, you need to sleep. Something big is coming and you need to be rested.”

“Since when are you high and mighty?” Tommy asked in annoyance, though he was already putting down the regeneration potion carefully and tugging one of the blankets up to his shoulder.

“Since when am I wrong?” The fake Tubbo asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Fuck you.” But Tommy obeyed, forcing his eyes closed as he realized how tired he was.

When he opened his eyes again, Tubbo was staring at him, incredibly close to his face.

“Jesus Fuck Tubbo, why?” Tommy complained, sitting up and glaring at him in annoyance. “You don’t need to be that close!”

“You’ve slept for almost a whole day. Someone’s here.” He said simply, thankfully stepping back from Tommy’s face.

“Ya thanks, they’re saying the same thing.” Tommy informed him, wincing as the voices started screaming names of who was there. Some he knew were lies, like Schlatt and Minx but they also were telling him that Niki and Fundy were there, which weren’t the wildest guesses. “They don’t know who it is though.”

“I’ll be back.” Fake-Tubbo promised, walking straight through the iron door and into the hallway.

“If he could do that, why has he been in here annoying me?” Tommy asked the voices sarcastically, hardly even realizing he was speaking out loud.

_You shouldn’t speak to the hallucinations_

_He talks to us enough_

_We’re not hallucinations though_

_Could be_

_RIP his mental health_

He rolled his eyes at their antics and grabbed blindly for the regeneration potion, thankfully finding it without spilling it. It was probably why he’d slept so long if Tubbo was telling the truth but he continued to sip on it slowly in the hopes that it would cause the tenderness in his head to fade.

There was the sound of scraping from the door and he flinched, but quickly forced himself to relax. The voices didn’t know who was outside, which meant it wasn’t Dream because either they or Fake-Tubbo always seemed to notice and warn him. Still, he wasn’t exactly enthusiastic to see anyone so when the door scraped open, he was honestly considering smashing the bottle on whoever's head it was and running. Of all the people he expected to see, the green hair that appeared surprised him more than it should have.

“Hey Tommy.” Sam grinned, pushing the door open carefully and coming into the cell with him. “You alright?”

“What are you doing here?”

_Don’t Trust the Creeper_

_Sam wouldn’t hurt us_

_He built this place_

_AweSAMdad_

“Bringing you food.” He held up a plate of bread before glancing over his shoulder and lowering his voice. “Who did that to your head Tommy? Was it Technoblade?”

“Of course not!” Tommy said indignantly. “I mean, he wasn’t all that happy with me when I left but he’s not an asshole like Dream is.”

Sam nodded as if that answered everything, shoving the plate into Tommy’s hands quickly. “Niki’s outside but it’ll take me a little bit to override all of the redstone to let her in without anyone knowing. Eat, you haven’t had anything since you got here.”

With that, Sam turned and started back out into the hallway, ignoring Fake-Tubbo dodging past him and into the room before the door closed.

“It’s Niki, she’s waiting outside.” He informed Tommy, who rolled his eyes.

“Sam just told me that. Which is weird isn’t it? That he’s helping me?”

“Not really, I mean Sam likes you a lot and Dream lied to him so I guess he has a reason to do this. Don’t know how he’s going to cancel all of the redstone though.”

“You’re Tubbo, you know a lot about redstone.”

“How many times do I have to tell you, I’m not Tubbo. I only know what you and the voices know.” Tommy sighed at this, focusing on tearing the bread that Sam had brought into small pieces.

“I can pretend.” He shoved a piece of the bread into his mouth angrily, ignoring the way Fake Tubbo sighed.

Fake Tubbo climbed onto the bed beside him, just watching as Tommy basically mutilated the bread in his hands. Tommy quickly realized he didn’t miss Tubbo being silent but he couldn’t bring himself to try and force a conversation. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there with Fake Tubbo but he had long since finished his bread when he heard a screeching noise from somewhere beyond his cell.

“That’ll be the redstone broken.” Fake Tubbo said, pushing himself up and disappearing through the door again.

Only a minute or two later, the door opened and Niki rushed into the room and seemed about to pull him into a hug before she stopped herself and smiled at him instead. He couldn’t help but throw himself at her, laughing a little as he realized their height difference for the first time in a while as she hugged him. He glanced up at the door and saw Fake Tubbo standing there, staring at them which was odd for many reasons but mostly because he tended to disappear when other people were around now. Tubbo blinked in confusion, pulling out a compass from under his shirt and staring at it and then Tommy.

“Are you okay Tommy?” Niki asked, pulling away from the hug and meeting his eyes carefully.

“I drank that regen potion you gave me but my brain’s still all screwy.”

Her smile faltered a little at that and she looked at him as though she could see into his head. “What do you mean? You know who you are and who I am don’t you?”

“‘Course I do.” He huffed, running a hand through his hair. “I meant like, I’m still seeing Tubbo.”

“I would hope you’re seeing me or I’d worry for your eyes.” Fake Tubbo laughed nervously from the doorway and Niki laughed a little too. That was when Tommy noticed that this Tubbo looked different than the Tubbo from his head. This Tubbo looked tired, and he had a silver chain around his neck now that was attached to the compass he was holding. Wait, didn’t Dream say he threw that away? Why was he only just now remembering that?

“Are you real, or are you another Fake-Tubbo?” Tommy asked before he could help himself and Tubbo stepped into the room carefully.

“I’m real.” He promised, shuffling awkwardly. “And you’re alive.”

“Course I am. You know me, Tommyinnit never dies.”

_He thought we were dead_

_Who told him that?_

_Is that why he never came?_

_He didn’t care_

_Of course he cared!_

_Resurrection POG_

“Pretty sure that’s Technoblade’s thing.”

Tubbo laughed softly and he looked like he was about to cry, which Tommy could never allow, no matter how upset he was with Tubbo. The older boy was always his source of optimism and it felt wrong to see him upset. So, he did what any incredibly non clingy boy would do and pulled his shorted friend into a hug. He sniffed a little as he did and he could hear Tubbo’s muffled laughter.

“Don’t cry on me big man.” He teased and Tommy started to shove him away playfully but let him stay close. It was strange to actually be able to touch him after so long of his hand passing through a hallucination.

“I don’t cry.” He said, rubbing his eye with his palm as he heard the voices start saying _Aweeee_ and Niki looked almost ready to join them.

“Sure you don’t.” Tubbo glanced around the room and frowned. “How long have you been here Tommy?”

“Not all that long. I was with Technoblade for a bit before Dream dragged me here.”

“Technoblade?” Tubbo looked guilty at his name and Tommy rolled his eyes.

“Ya, I heard about what you lot did to him but Phil and I managed to make sure he didn’t come after you guys because I kind of assumed you would realize that you were just being an idiot.”

“Ya, not my brightest moment to be fair but Quackity was all upset and he insisted that it would be fine and it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Remind me to have a conversation with Quackity later.” Niki said and the two boys exchanged a glance in surprise at her tone.

_She’s scary_

_Niki’s a badass_

_She’s gonna kill Quackity_

_He deserves it_

_No he doesn’t_

_Niki with a gun_

_Niki supremacy_

“They think you’re scary Niki.” Tommy said, smoothing his hair down and she laughed a little in surprise.

“Oh, well I’m not meaning to be.”

“Who’s they?” Tubbo asked and Tommy flinched, not having fully realized that he hadn’t told Tubbo about anything. Thankfully, he was cut off by a loud siren sound and they all felt the effects of some strange potion wash over them. Sam appeared in the doorway, a panicked look on his face.

“We’ve got a problem.”


	8. Who Can I Blame For It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Problems problems, always so many problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW
> 
> Manipulation  
> canon typical violence

**Who Can I Blame For It**

“What the hell do you mean we’ve got a problem?” Tommy snapped but Sam barely spared him a glance, instead grabbing Niki’s hand and trying to pull her back out the door.

“You’ve got to leave, both of you!” Sam insisted, motioning for Tubbo to follow him even as Niki dug in her heels to stop him.

“What are you talking about Sam?”

“I’m not leaving Tommy!” Tubbo insisted and Sam groaned.

“Listen, I made the redstone too good, okay? Even when I disabled it, I couldn’t disable everything at once and one signal still alerted Dream and he activated the mining fatigue. You two need to get out of here and I can play it off as the redstone malfunctioning.” Ah, so that explained the strange heaviness in Tommy’s arms.

“Why can’t we just take Tommy with us?” Tubbo asked and Sam glanced over his shoulder worriedly.

“Because he’s already outside and there’s not going to be enough time between getting you all out and him realizing for you to get away safely.”

“I’m not leaving Tommy!” Tubbo repeated.

Tommy honestly wasn’t paying much attention because the voices were screaming again.

_DREAM!_

_Protect Tubbo!_

_Protect Niki!_

_Run_

_Stay and fight_

“No, Tubbo, you have to go.” He decided and Tubbo gasped at him.

“Tommy-”

“No, Tubbo, Dream’s gonna be mad as hell and he’s gonna take it out on whoever’s here.”

“Then I’m definitely not leaving you alone here!”

“We don’t have time for this.” Sam hissed, grabbing Tubbo’s hand. “Tommy’s right, Dream’s gonna be pissed off, especially if he thinks that Tommy messed with the redstone.”

“Then I’ll stay.” Niki said suddenly, grabbing a piece of folded paper out of her pocket and shoving it into Tubbo’s hand. “He can think that I messed with the redstone and Sam shoved me in here. Tubbo, you need to go and take that to Ranboo, he’ll know what to do.”

Both Tubbo and Sam looked ready to argue but Niki was already shoving them both out the doorway. Tubbo tried to dodge past her but Sam seemed to realize that there was no arguing with Niki at this point because he pulled Tubbo back and shut the door quickly behind them. They disappeared and Niki sighed, leaning her head against the iron door tiredly.

“You didn’t have to stay.” Tommy mumbled as she raised her head to meet his eyes. “You could’ve gone with Tubbo. Now Dream’s just going to be upset with you too.”

“Tommy, I wasn’t about to leave you here again and Tubbo wasn’t going to leave any other way.”

_Protect her_

_She’s too nice_

_Don’t let Dream touch her_

_She can handle herself_

_Don’t let Dream blame her for this_

_Protect her!_

“I will guys.” He muttered and when Niki looked at him curiously, he chuckled nervously. “They’re happy you stayed but they want to make sure you’re safe.”

“I can handle myself against Dream.” She promised. As if her words summoned him, they both heard the click of shoes approaching them and the door swung open to reveal his ceramic mask.

“What the hell are you doing?” He practically growled and Niki glared at him.

“I’m apparently being trapped in a cell.”

“You messed with the redstone.” It wasn’t a question but she nodded anyway.

“You weren’t here to let me in.”

Dream’s hand clenched on his sword handle and it was all Tommy could do not to try and pull Niki behind him, mostly because he knew that she wouldn’t let him. When he’d become so protective over his friends he wasn’t exactly sure but the voices were sure to _awee_ at him. Dream chuckled lowly, shaking his head at Niki.

“You’re really just pushing your luck aren’t you? Wilbur was a bad influence on both of you.”

“Don’t you dare talk about Wil.” Tommy snapped, which only made Dream laugh again.

“Oh Tommyinnit, ever loyal, even to the dead. And where has that loyalty gotten you? In a cell. And you’ve dragged one of your friends in here too. I tried to be nice to you Tommy, I tried to be your friend, but you just couldn’t listen could you?”

“You were never his friend.” Niki frowned and Dream scoffed.

“Then who was? Tubbo, who exiled him? You, who didn’t even try and look for him before now?” She opened her mouth to respond but he waved her off. “I was his only friend and now he’s ruined everything, again. And he needs to be punished for it.”

He went to grab for Tommy’s arm and Niki shoved the green hooded man roughly. He barely even stumbled as he turned and struck her across the face, sending her to the ground. The voices screeched for blood as Tommy launched himself at Dream, not really sure what he was trying to accomplish but he could hardly deny the voices for wanting him to suffer. Dream slammed him to the floor before he could get any proper hits in and there was a netherite blade pointed at his throat.

Before Tommy could begin to panic, Dream pulled it away from him and just stood over them both, laughing a little.

“You’re so predictable, both of you. I don’t know why I even bother to try.” Niki tried to get to her feet but when Dream swung his sword towards her she took the hint to stay down. “Neither of you know what’s good for you.”

“And you do?” Niki’s face had a perfect handprint on it, Tommy noticed belatedly.

“Of course I do. You two need to be taught a lesson. You want to protect each other so badly? Stay here in this cell together then. Protect each other in a cage until I figure out what I want to do with you.”

He turned, swinging his sword and shattering the only lantern in the room and slammed the iron door behind him, plunging them into darkness. It took several moments for Tommy’s eyes to adjust but once they did he could see Niki pushing herself to her feet with her hands held out, obviously not used to the darkness yet. He pulled himself up onto the bed carefully, the feeling of cold metal against his throat still making his hands shake.

“Are you alright?” He asked softly and he could see her flinch a little at the sudden sound of his voice. How had his eyes adjusted faster than hers again? He wasn’t sure.

“I’m fine Tommy.” She promised, stumbling over towards him carefully until she found the bed and sunk down next to him, grabbing onto his hand as if to reassure herself that he was there.

“But, your face.”

“I’m fine Tommy.” She repeated, touching her cheek gingerly. “I promise. And you’re alright too, aren’t you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Why’d you go after Dream like that?”

“He hit you.” She laughed a little in surprise and he could feel his face reddening at how childlike that defense sounded. “The voices were angry and it was like I couldn’t think of anything else but wanting to kill him for that.”

She frowned at that before shaking her head. “If Tubbo gets to Ranboo he’ll be able to get us out of here. He can go convince Techno.”

“Ya, Techno likes Ranboo I think, except he won't ever say he will.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Sam wasn’t exactly gentle as he rushed Tubbo out of the prison but then again, they couldn’t exactly take the time to sight see. Sam shoved a bottle of milk into the younger boys hands as they reached the doorway.

“That’ll get rid of the mining fatigue.” He told him, even as Tubbo was already gulping it down. He’d had enough experience with potions to know that. Sam glanced at the sky that was now pouring down rain and grabbed his trident off of his back, shoving it into Tubbo’s hands.

“Wha- Sam, I can’t take this from you.”

“Oh, you’re gonna give it back, but you need it to get away from here as fast as possible. Be careful with it, you can really hurt yourself if you slam into the ground too hard.”

“I’ll be careful.” He promised, rolling the trident in his grip nervously. “Sam, they’re going to be okay aren’t they? Until I get back?”

“He won’t kill them.” Sam promised, though he noticed the way the builder kept glancing back at the Prison nervously. “I’ll make sure of that. You need to get out of here, do whatever Niki wanted you to. I’ll keep the redstone broken for as long as possible but no promises.”

Tubbo nodded and Sam offered him a smile before disappearing back into the walls. Tubbo launched the trident into the air and felt the familiar drop of his stomach as it pulled him with it. He’d never been good with Tridents but he managed to make it all the way back to L’Manberg before he crashed, thankfully into the water.

“Holy SHIT Turbo!” Quackity met him at the edge of the waterfall, pulling him out of the water quickly. “What did you do?”

“Sam’s trident.” He managed, coughing in an attempt to get the water out of his lungs. “Where’s Ranboo?”

“Uh, I have no idea. Why?”

“I need to find him.” He tried to push away but the older boy held his hand tighter.

“Dude, you just crash landed into L’Manberg and you’re soaked. Besides, it’s raining so it’s not like there’s many places that he can be, what Enderman and all.”

“Then I’m going to his house.” Quackity was obviously tired because he just threw up his hands and let Tubbo go, turning and disappearing into L’Manberg. Tubbo forced himself to his feet and nearly fell into Ranboo’s door, which thankfully opened to reveal said hybrid.

“Tubbo? What the heck, are you alright? You’re soaked.” He gestured for Tubbo to come in and he obliged, already searching his pockets for the thing Niki had handed him. He found it and held it out, only to pull it back when he realized it was soaked.

“Right, sorry, water but Niki told me to give this to you.”

Ranboo took it carefully, a frown on his face. “What happened? Where’s Niki? I thought you two were going to get Tommy out of there.”

“We tried but Dream found out and came back so we had to leave. Niki stayed behind so that Dream wouldn’t realize it was Sam who messed with the redstone. She told me you’d know what to do.”

“Ya, ya but we should go fast. I don’t want her or Tommy in there longer than they need to be.” He urged, crumbling up the paper and tossing it to the side.

“It’s raining.” Tubbo reminded him and Ranboo laughed a little.

“I’ve got a helmet. Are we sure I’m the one with memory problems?”

“I crash landed into the lake 5 minutes ago, give me a break.”

“Oh, right, I’ve got some of your clothes still here if you want to dry off. You probably should because you’ll freeze if you go like that.”

“Oh, so we’re going to Technoblade then?”

“Well, Techno and Phil.” Ranboo shrugged, pulling on his Netherite helmet as Tubbo blinked in surprise.

“Why the hell didn’t we think to look there?” Ranboo laughed at that before turning around to gather a bag full of supplies while Tubbo changed. He was thankful that Ranboo still had these clothes he had lent him when he first got here because he doubted he could fit anything that Ranboo actually wore.

The second he was done, Ranboo practically dragged him out the door and towards the tundra. It was still raining but neither of them focused on that, too busy making sure they were going the right way. Without Phil’s compass to lead their way, it took longer than either of them wanted. By the time they could see the glow of Techno’s cabin, Tubbo was ready to just take Sam’s trident and go back to the prison himself.

Ranboo just walked straight up to the door, leaving Tubbo to hesitate behind him. He was only just now realizing that this was probably not the best idea for him to be here. His line of thinking was proven correct when he instantly found a sword pointed at his neck.

“What are you doing here?” Philza was holding the sword, which honestly surprised him so much that he almost didn’t answer.

“Phil, he’s not gonna hurt anyone.” Ranboo promised, moving the blade carefully away from the younger's throat.

“Dream’s got Tommy and Niki trapped in some insane prison and I don’t know what to do.”

Technoblade appeared in the doorway, obviously having been listening. “What?”

“I don’t know what happened but he’s got Tommy in one of the cells and Niki found him and we tried to get him out but he came back and now they’re both there.” He was talking fast, he realized, but he was half expecting another sword to come at his throat and he figured it would be safer to be fast.

“Why would he put him in a prison?” Everyone except Techno started at the sound of Ghostbur’s voice.

“I don’t know. He told me he was dead. And he hurt him pretty bad cause Niki had to give him healing potions.” Tubbo admitted and Ghostbur frowned at that.

“Someone needs to deal with Dream.”

“We’re going to.” Phil promised, glancing at Techno who nodded along with him. Tubbo felt himself get a little less nervous now. Maybe Tommy’s family wasn’t that scary after all. Techno grabbing a flaming sword from a chest quickly changed his mind. “Techno.” Phil said in a low voice and the hybrid scoffed.

“I’m fine Phil, but Dream’s not going to be when I’m done with him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay on this chapter! There's probably also going to be one on the last chapter since I've got it written but I keep changing little bits and pieces because I'm never fully happy with it


	9. I Can Not Run From My Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can only piss off so many people before they come for your head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW
> 
> References to Suicide  
> Hyperventilation  
> Blood  
> Weapons  
> Death

**I Can Not Run From My Family**

Tommy leaned against Niki tiredly, the voices screaming at him to do something.

“Are they still too loud?” Niki asked softly and he nodded with a sigh.

“Can you all just shut up? We can’t do anything but wait.” He snapped, which only made them louder.

_KILL HIM_

_BLOOD_

_/Rainbowchat_

_Bro, just bite him_

_Kick the door in_

“Where do they come from?” She asked, drawing him away from glaring at the air.

“Who? Oh, right. I don’t know. They showed up around the time that Dream started coming around.”

“Are they the ones that got you to build that tower in Logstedshire?” She asked softly and he glanced at her in confusion.

“No, no, that was…….. I thought I told you, they help me. Mostly. Sometimes they try to Bait me but they were the ones that made sure I didn’t….. Y’know.”

Niki frowned in the darkness and Tommy could hear the voices start talking about how she was scary again. “What did he do to you? Dream, I mean. He was talking about being your friend earlier.”

“Ya, he was my friend for a bit…… I think. I can’t tell honestly. But he was around when no one else was.”

“He wasn’t your friend,” Niki said seriously, and he could see her fists clench in her lap. “I don’t know what his game is but he’s not your friend.”

“You are, right? You and Tubbo and Ranboo? Course I haven’t been that good of a friend to Ranboo but-”

“We’re your friends Tommy,” Niki promised, unclenching her fists tiredly. “Dream isn’t. You don’t end up on towers because of friends.”

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Can we not talk about that? It was weeks ago and I’m fine now.”

He could see she wanted to continue the conversation but nodded instead. “Ya, ya, we can talk about something else.”

_She’s mad_

_Not at us_

_At Dream_

_Where’s Techno?_

_He’s not coming_

_Yes he is_

_No one is coming_

_Awe, don’t worry little Pogchamp, someone will come!_

_CRINGE_

“They’ll come,” Tommy mumbled, glancing at Niki. “They’ll come right?”

“Of course they will Tommy.” And because this world had humor, an alarm echoed through the prison. “Told you.” She grinned.

“Ya, that’s Technoblade, stupid dramatic timing.” Tommy groaned, rubbing his head tiredly.

“I seem to remember you using some of that dramatic timing before.” Niki chuckled.

“Hey, we saved you didn’t we?”

“You did.” Niki grinned before Tommy grabbed her arm and pulled her back from the door. “What?”

“They’re about to knock the door down, figured you wouldn’t like brain damage.” He tapped the side of the head before Niki could question how he knew.

Sure enough, only a few moments later, the iron door creaked before collapsing onto the floor. Ghostbur appeared first, already grabbing onto Tommy and pulling him into a hug. Tubbo looked like he wanted to join but just smiled at Tommy instead. Niki stared at the ghost for several seconds before Ranboo appeared and she couldn’t help but grab and hug him.

“You came!”

“Did you have so little faith in me?” He chuckled and she pulled away, swatting at his arm.

“Ya, ya, very sweet, let’s get out of here.” Techno urged, splashing them all in a potion that could only be strength from the red particles, to which Philza nodded slowly.

“As much as I hate to say it, he’s right.” That got an indignant glare from Techno but he continued on. “We need to get out of here before-”

“Before I show up?” Tommy couldn’t see him but he could tell that Dream was smiling as Techno and Phil turned to glare at him. “So what’s all this then?”

“None of your concern,” Phil said, his wings spreading instinctually behind him and hiding the younger group still in the cell.

“It’s my prison, I think it is.” He pushed himself up onto his toes, rolling his eyes when Phil’s wings opened to stop his gaze. “You’re lucky I haven’t cut those off yet. Come on Tommy, what do you think you’re doing?”

“What do you think you’re doing talking to him?” Niki snapped before she could stop herself, shoving past Phil to glare at Dream, strength particles still spiraling off of her. “How dare you.”

“It seems you’ve forgotten Niki, I’m his friend.”

“You’re not my friend,” Tommy said, moving slowly in an attempt to pull Niki away from the masked man. He hated her being that close to him.

“I think I am.” He smirked, reaching toward’s Tommy.

“I think that you’re going to lose that hand.” Techno snarled, swinging his sword at him.

Dream met him easily, but the strength potion was giving Techno more of an advantage than he would normally have. It was terrifying watching them fight, it always had been.

Suddenly, Tommy wasn’t in the halls of the prison, he was in a stadium, watching blades clash as he yelled for Techno to win. The only difference was that during their duel, they had been throwing quips and tips at each other, the only thing on the line being a prize and bragging rights. Now there was blood flying through the air much faster and there was no laughter or calls for victory from those watching. It was too much, all too much.

His vision blurred and he realized he hadn’t been breathing.

_Look out!_

_MOVE!_

Before he could even register the voices screaming in his head, Dream shot forward and had grabbed his arm, twisting him around so that his back was against the older man and a sword was at his throat. There was chaos as everyone scrambled to get a footing and Dream adjusted his hold on the blonde. Techno lunged forward, only to pause when Dream pulled Tommy further back. The piglin hybrid turned his sword over in his hand, shifting his weight tensely.

“Let him go.”

“You’re not in a position to demand things.”

“I could kill you before you breathed.” Techno threatened, taking another step forward.

“You can’t do this Technoblade.” Dream spat, pushing the sword against Tommy’s throat so hard that blood was already trickling down onto his shirt. “You owe me. So stop, take Phil and leave.”

“No offense Dream, but I don’t think I care all that much what you want me to do, favor or not.” Tommy could see Ranboo glance behind Dream, but couldn’t turn his head enough to see what it was.

_Niki_

_Tubbo_

_They’re behind him_

_They need to run_

_No, they’re going to save him!_

“I thought you weren’t a traitor Technoblade.”

“I’m not.” He raised his sword, causing Dream to tense. “Far from it.”

“Then you’re a fool for crossing me, all of you! Don’t you get it? I’m in charge here, you don’t have any advantage! I could kill Tommy before you could blink and it wouldn’t matter what you did. This is MY prison! This is MY land! You’re my puppets.”

“No, we’re not.” Dream’s head jerked as Niki appeared beside him, ramming a sword in between the straps of his armor and straight into his side. Tommy slammed his elbow into Dream’s nose, stumbling away from him as Niki continued, yanking the sword out of his side and letting him fall to the ground. “You have no power here, nothing here is yours! You aren’t fit to claim otherwise!”

They could all see the life fade from the masked man quickly, so quickly that he didn’t even get to respond to Niki. She stared at him in shock and started shaking, dropping her sword to the ground next to his body.

“I killed him. He’s Puffy’s son, I didn’t mean to-” She let out a wordless scream, scrambling backwards only to hit Ranboo’s chest. He carefully wrapped his arms around her, lowering them both to the ground as Ghostbur joined them.

“Niki, Niki, it’s okay!” Ghostbur promised as Tommy peeled himself off of the wall to join them. He understood of course, how it felt. He wasn’t sure that Niki had ever killed anyone before, even being in L’Manberg. She’d joined when the war was already over after all. He didn’t say anything, just crouched in front of her and let her pull him into a hug that he would never admit he needed too.

“I’m sorry Tommy. I’m glad you’re okay I just….. I didn’t want to have to kill anyone.”

“But you had to.” Sam’s voice rang out from where he was standing, nudging Dream’s body not at all gently with his foot, before glancing at Techno. “I know you guys probably want to get out of here and I don’t blame you but do you think you could help me get him into a cell before he can come back to his body? And Tubbo, do you want to help me with the Redstone? You don’t have to but it’ll be faster with two of us.”

Techno nodded, and as he bent down to help Sam move Dream, he grabbed Niki’s sword and handed it to her gently. The Piglin hybrid and the Creeper hybrid disappeared further into the prison, Tubbo trailing after them. If Tommy wasn’t barely conscious, he would’ve run after them and dragged Tubbo back but for now, all he could do was slump against Ghostbur and Niki tiredly.

Phil appeared in his vision, pulling him to his feet carefully.

“Come on Toms, let's get out of here. Wilbur, will you and Ranboo help Niki?”

“I can walk.” She insisted quietly, pushing herself to her feet, sheathing her sword and following them slowly. It took longer than normal to get back to Techno’s house with Tommy and Niki but they managed. Phil set Tommy down in front of the fireplace and draped the cape he had abandoned days before on his shoulders. Niki sat down next to him and Ghostbur grabbed another one of Techno’s capes for her. Ranboo went back to L’Manberg to grab things for all of them, promising not to take too long.

“Are the voices still loud?” She asked quietly, her voice still shaking slightly, and Tommy shushed her quickly, glancing back at Phil and Ghostbur, who were heading to the basement. “What’s wrong?”

“Niki, they don’t know.” He hissed desperately. “I don’t want them to know.”

“Tommy-”

“Niki, they’re going to think I’m crazy.”

“I don’t. Tommy, Phil’s traveled to more worlds than I could ever dream of, he might’ve heard of something like this or even seen it before.”

_Don’t tell them_

_They’ll get rid of us._

_We can trust him!_

_No, we can’t!_

“They don’t trust him,” Tommy said softly. “He might get rid of them.”

“Do you trust him?” Niki asked curiously. “I mean, I’m sure if you told him that they wanted to stick around then he wouldn’t do anything against them.”

“I don’t know Niki.” He was saved from having to explain it anymore when Techno came through the door. Tubbo followed after him and Tommy used this as an excuse to get up and away from Niki and nearly knock him to the ground in a hug.

“Hey, Tommy.” Tubbo laughed a little as he steadied himself.

“Glad you’re okay big man.” Tommy laughed a little, pulling away from him.

“They’re home!” Ghostbur called, appearing at the ladder. He hoisted Friend up with him, who snapped at him rather aggressively for a sheep.

“I’m making soup,” Phil called from the basement, appearing with an armful of mushrooms from Techno’s chest. “I hope you like it, Niki.”

“I like soup.” She grinned, glancing at Tommy pointedly.

_She wants us to tell them_

_Don’t tell them_

_Maybe she’s right_

_Too dangerous_

_DangerPog_

“Shut up. Shut up with the Pog.” Tommy hissed and Phil glared at him.

“Don’t be rude to Niki.” He warned and Tommy’s face reddened.

“Wasn’t talking to her.”

“Are we not going to address the fact that he just said POG? What does that even mean? You’ve been so weird lately.” Techno huffed, also appearing from the basement. “I thought talking to yourself was my thing.”

“You’ve been alone too long.” Tommy glared at him and the pinkette glared at him.

“If I remember correctly, You’ve been here and stealing from my chests so I don’t think I’ve had a chance to be alone.”

“You loved me being here Techno!” Tommy insisted and the hybrid rolled his eyes.

“Ya ya, Theseus.”

Tommy flinched at that as the voices rose louder.

_Theseus?_

_Rude_

_Stay away from the cliffs!_

“How- Why did you call me that?”

“Call you what?”

“Theseus. That’s not my name.”

“Did you forget my speech already?” Techno chuckled.

“They won’t let me forget it.” He said before he could stop himself, which caused Techno to look at him curiously.

“Who?”

“I’m going to take Friend outside,” Ghostbur announced, obviously wanting to escape the awkward conversation though no one acknowledged him besides Niki smiling at him.

“No one.”

“Seems to be a lot of talking to no one lately.” Techno huffed.

“Tommy, is this about what you said in that cell?” Tubbo piped up from the fireplace, earning him a glare from his blonde friend.

“What happened?” Phil asked curiously.

“Nothing.”

“He said something about someone talking to him.”

“Tommy?”

“Thanks a lot, Tubbo.”

“Tommy, you should tell them,” Niki said quietly and the blonde threw his hands up in the air.

_She’s right_

_No, she’s not_

_Tell them_

_Don’t_

“Is everyone against me now?”

“Tommy, what’s going on?” Phil asked seriously.

The words spilled out of his mouth before he could stop them. “I don’t know how to explain this but I hear things……. Voices. They tell me things and usually help. That’s how I knew that you owed Dream a favor. And they’re so loud and they won’t shut the FUCK up and right now they’re just chanting about a little PogChamp which I have no idea what that is and they’re so fucking annoying.”

Instead of looking upset or shocked, Phil just grinned and glanced at Techno, who sighed and looked ready to collapse into his soup.

“God-, now I can’t deny being related to you if I tried. Why did I get the annoying ones that scream for blood and you’ve got them talking about a made-up word?”

“What the fuck are you on about?” Tommy demanded and Phil raised a hand to placate him.

“Tommy, calm down. Techno, you need to at least explain things to him.” When the pinkette didn’t say anything, Phil sighed. “Techno hears voices, and so do I. Granted, mine are not near as overwhelming as his but this isn’t exactly a surprise. Honestly, it’s more of a surprise that you didn’t hear them before.”

“You didn’t think to fucking tell me?” Tommy snapped angrily. “I’ve been thinking I’ve gone off the deep end!”

“Why would we tell you when it wasn’t any of your business?” Techno snapped and Tommy rolled his eyes. He could see Tubbo and Niki exchanging glances out of the corner of his eye and he sighed, shaking his head tiredly.

“You fuckers are gonna explain everything to me when I wake up.” He ordered, which caused Phil to grin as Tommy threw himself down in front of the fireplace again, leaning on Tubbo tiredly.

“God, you’re covered in dirt.” He complained, but let Tommy stay next to him either way.

“As if you aren’t.”

“When we get back to L’Manberg I can throw you into the pond so you’ll clean off.” Tubbo grinned and Tommy pushed himself up, meeting his eyes.

“I’m allowed back?”

“If you want to be. I know, I fucked up but-”

“The voices won’t let me blame you. They say Dream got in your head too.”

“I guess he did,” Tubbo admitted, thankfully not pressing Tommy on the voices. “But seriously Tommy, you can come back to L’Manberg if you want. Or, you can stay here and I’ll come visit you all the time.”

“I don’t think now’s the time to talk about this,” Niki admitted, thankfully seeing the look on Tommy’s face as he tried to come up with an answer.

“Ya, ya she’s right.” Tubbo shrugged, jostling Tommy’s head. “We’ll figure it out later.”

“Good, cause I want to sleep.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Do you remember why you don’t like them yet?” Ghostbur asked, the wind tearing his words away so that anyone not right next to him was blissfully unaware that he was even there. Instead of a blue sheep appearing at the end of the lead next to him, it was a man in a dark suit with curled golden horns that stared down at Ghostbur’s family with him.

“Maybe cause they’re too much like you, Loverboy.” He chuckled lowly, swatting at Ghostbur as he went to lean on his shoulder.

“Why do you call me that, Schlatt?” He asked curiously and the other ghost shrugged.

“Wil, you’re one of the few things I remember most but that’s one thing I’ve forgotten. It just feels right.”

“They talk about you sometimes and I don’t think they like you much either,” Ghostbur informed him as if he hadn’t been present for most of the interactions. “Well, Tubbo sometimes sounds like he misses you but he sounds like he misses everyone lately.”

“Don’t know why he’d miss me. Never liked me when I was alive.”

“Well, did you ever tell him about…… you know, when you were alive? You had him with you in Manberg for a while.”

“No, it wasn’t important.”

“Do you wish you did?”

“Maybe a little bit. It’s too late now.”

“It’s never too late Schlatt. I mean, look at us. We’ve made up.”

“No offense Wilbur but you literally have dragged me around on a lead for like, 3 weeks. I don’t know if that means we’re friends.” He grabbed the rope that was still tied loosely around his neck pointedly. Ghostbur giggled at that, watching as the man finally pulled it over his head and threw it down into the snow in aggravation.

“Ya, it does.” Ghostbur decided and Schlatt sighed but didn’t say anything else, just turning and watching the ones they had left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize that this chapter took a little longer than the others! I kept toying with the ending and trying to figure out how exactly I wanted it to end.  
> Honestly not surprised that you guys already predicted bits of this chapter because I'm not exactly subtle. I hope you guys liked it!  
> (I was honestly toying with an ending where they didn't manage to save Tommy at one point lol)


End file.
